What I Dream I Knew Before My Company Moved Offices

Moving offices-- similar to moving your home-- is a huge decision, loaded with mistakes and headaches that can sap the resources of even the most ready company.

We need to know. Assemble recently moved our home office from 2 offices in Midtown Manhattan to a brand-new flagship location in Lower Manhattan. It's a move of just four miles, however moving over 100 people, spread out throughout numerous areas, is never ever an easy task.

To facilitate this move, and make sure a smooth shift, the team here at Convene designated a move committee: a group of specialists, chose for their specific understanding around problems we knew would occur with the huge move. Consider them as our moving all-star team-- the Workplace Move Avengers.

4 of these professionals were kind enough to share their thoughts on the move-- what worked out, what didn't, and how other business should prepare to move. Find out from our successes-- and mistakes.

Start with "Why?".

The most important factor to consider our professionals shared was the importance of "Why?".

" Why are we moving workplaces?".

" Make sure everyone understands the 'why' of the relocation," says Slater. "Individuals regard openness. You require to outline whether it's going to be better or worse for them.".

Let's face it, companies move for lots of reasons-- often great and sometimes not-so-good. Those not-so-good factors (downsizing, reducing realty costs) can be hard to navigate, however Slater worries that openness is key. "Eventually, you're transferring due to the fact that you desire the experience to be better for everyone at the other end. Even if you need to move for an unfavorable factor, it is essential to transparently interact why the move is required. Cutting expenses can be hard, however eventually it's for the very best.".

When the team was substantially smaller sized, we moved into our old office back in 2010--.

Of course, plenty of moves come with great deals of excellent news too-- growing teams, expanding revenue, and brand-new chances. Even when things are looking intense and bright for your company, do not take the 'why' for given. You're still asking people to change their routines, which in numerous methods is more tough in excellent times than bad.

" All interactions relating to the move should constantly end and begin with the crucial vision of why we're moving workplaces and why this is essential," states Wollemann. "Even when it's simply an e-mail about logistics and timeline, it is very important to bear in mind the 'why' when you're asking individuals to alter a huge part of their routine.".

" What's in It for Me?".

Even the most selfless team player will have one big concern about any workplace moving: "What remains in it for me?".

Shifts and regular changes are difficult for everyone, and some of the modifications may make life harder for a part of your group (longer commute, less familiar neighborhood). While you shouldn't belittle or ignore those issues, make sure you're framing the move around the individual advantages people can anticipate from the brand-new digs.

Moving offices is a big (and pricey) choice.

" If you're moving someplace with leading notch facilities, it's a big message to individuals that our skill is the most essential for us and we're going to take care of you," says Slater. "Whatever the advantage of your brand-new space is, hype that up for the group: more area, better amenities, much better area, anything that frames up the necessary 'What's in it for me?'".

Pick Your Move Team Sensibly.

Moving offices is a big choice-- a very costly decision. Make sure you're choosing members of your relocation team carefully, and not simply tossing any ready volunteer into the mix.

Our group was actively picked based upon their skillsets-- interactions, modification expertise, design, method, and so on. Each individual had a role to play, and that role was important to a successful move. "Strategy individuals's roles ahead of time on the move group," states Vassallo. "Make certain you have your requirements covered.".

Despite the accumulated skill, there were a few areas our group could've used some extra aid with (operations being a big one). "Specific things I handled might have been much better managed by an operations expert. Hiring the mover, collaborating all the boxes, what groups require what, and what kind of things they own.".

" Having the right group of individuals to collaborate the move and divvying up obligation is actually crucial," says Christophe. "We had a truly great group, that made it much easier.".

Interact Early and Typically.

" Step one is developing an interactions plan, where you describe the before, during, and after the move, and ensure everyone knows about crucial dates," suggests website Wollemann. The team laid out a comprehensive timeline, with corresponding dates for when essential items would need to be interacted to the business-- scrap cleaning days, last day to pack your box, last day in the old office, first day in the brand-new workplace, and more.

When moving workplaces, make sure to thank those who made it occur!

Communicating early and frequently applies beyond simply your own business too-- make sure to validate with outdoors suppliers like the moving company months in advance. "When I contacted the moving company, they thought I was crazy.".

That opts for the structure (in fact structures) included too. Most commercial office buildings aren't going to let movers ruin their good elevators with moving carts and heavy furnishings. "You also require to coordinate with the building (both buildings) a lot," says Vassallo. "What time people can come, using freight elevators, what time people can use the freight elevators, extra cost for moving after hours, then collaborating with the brand-new structure to have that all happen on the very same day.".

Know Your Employees ... and Their 'Stuff'.

Not all departments in your company are produced equivalent-- each group has their own needs and equipment. The HR team requires a space with some privacy for interviews and other sensitive conferences. And the financing group needs filing cabinets for accounting documentation.

Besides understanding what they'll require in the brand-new area, be prepared to manage equipment and other miscellaneous items that go unclaimed at the old office. "I found that a lot of things weren't claimed by anybody, and someone needed to choose what to do with it. All the workplace materials in the office that technically didn't belong to any one individual. Somebody had to decide what gets tossed and what requires to come with us.".

Nail The First Day.

You never get a 2nd possibility to make a first impression. Day one of a move will be hectic no matter what, but do everything you can to make it a celebratory atmosphere and a smooth shift.

Developing a celebratory atmosphere on the first day was a critical part of our office relocation.

" It's simple to get lost in the logistics but when it comes down to it, individuals appreciate a couple of things that will affect them on the first day-- how do I get in the structure and where am I sitting?" states Wollemann.

The moving committee produced a welcome package that had instructions on all the fundamentals of arriving to deal with the first day and paired that packet with a live presentation a few weeks prior to the relocation letting people know what to anticipate-- where they would be sitting, how to get in and out, mass transit choices, and more.

" You require to instruct people on how to prepare, and how to be effective in the brand-new environment-- how to set up their desk, their tech, their chair, whatever," says Slater. "Take some time to fix even the smallest of concerns and take care of the needs (not the desires) of individuals, either through style, education, or innovation.".

There were a few items the moving group, in retrospect, desires were managed differently. Moving to a new workplace, for us, meant lots of brand-new IT systems to carry out-- brand-new printers, brand-new docking stations for laptops, brand-new structure security, and more. The IT team set-up a war room where individuals could drop by for support on the area, but lots of issues could've been avoided by possibly a team-by-team innovation orientation.

Regardless of that minor inconvenience, the group nailed the very first day experience. "We had an actually celebratory very first day (and week) at the new office," says Wollemann. "There were swag bags, balloons, special deals with, and more. Making individuals feel truly unique was a top priority.".

The Lunch Crunch.

Among the most unexpected elements of our relocation is simply how invested people would be in checking out the lunch spots in our new area. Of all the routines being changed for the folks in our workplace, lunch unequivocally elicited one of the most enjoyment and anguish.

" We create a truly nice welcome package that included details about the community, however I wish we included more choices for lunch," states Christophe. "The choices we put in there were more special event type of places (i.e.-- more expensive), and not every day lunch choices.".

Prepare individuals for their new cooking surroundings. Search Yelp for the very best sandwiches, salads, tacos, and ramen, and ensure you communicate that information to the team. Food is a big deal, and you 'd be well served to set minds at ease about where your group can eat in their new digs.

This response did generate a fun and creative solution-- our group has actually now started a shared spreadsheet where people can get in enjoyable, affordable lunch areas they have actually discovered with a brief evaluation that anyone on the team can search for some brand-new options to attempt.

The Work's Refrained from doing After Day One.

At 5PM on day one, it's simple to breathe a sigh of relief and think the relocation is over with.

Not so quick, says our relocation team.

" People forget that the move and change isn't over on day one," states Slater. You need to constantly iterate and attend to problems the first month as individuals get utilized to the space and make modifications so that the space works effectively.".

The the first day breakfast spread. Stay alert, the work's not even close to complete!

" The most significant challenge is getting people to alter their behavior," states Wollemann. "One method to encourage that is actually to focus the communications. Even if the sole function is to communicate the date of something or action they need to take, constantly bring that communication back to why this modification is going to be great for the future.".


Do Not Forget to Make It Enjoyable.

Don't kid yourself-- moving workplaces can be a big old pain-in-the-ass. Everybody knows it.

You can make things more bearable by working in some fun. One method our group did that was by hosting several "purge celebrations." After spending years in one office, we had all collected a lot of things that clearly didn't need to relocate to the new area. However because nobody actually likes cleaning, the group made it enjoyable. Time was blocked out on everyone's calendars for a "purge celebration," complete with tacos, beer, and music.

Big garbage and recycling cans were generated and everyone in the company was motivated to let go of all the scrap they have actually collected over the years. Old documents was shredded, conference boodle contributed, and drawers complete of napkins and plastic spoons from lunches previous were discarded.

Throughout the very first week in the brand-new office, special surprises were planned, like afternoon cookies or catered lunch, together with special welcome bags for each staff member containing novelty chocolate company cards-- featuring the new address, obviously.

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